PABLO, MONTANA 59855 ISSN: 0528-8592
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VOLUME 10 NUMBER *4 ^ HBH MOON OF THE BITTERR00T ? 1,1981
Council highlights...
Bathhouse may open; state water talks close
The April 24 regular Council meeting was a busy one indeed.
Perhaps the biggest news to Reservation residents is the chance that the Hot Springs Bathhouse may yet open to accommodate health-seekers during the upcoming summer months. After bathhouse ideas checker-boarded the eight-hour meeting, the Council voted 6 to 3 to let the city of Hot Springs "have the keys to the bathhouse and run it on their own for 6 months", maybe a year.
Unwilling to invest any more money in the facility, which hasn't made a profit in a decade at least, the Council decided to let the city try to make money "with our blessings". Should the city prove successful, some kind of a business arrangement will presumably be made between them and the Tribes.
The Hot Springs delegation present at the meeting (which included would-be lessee George Plummer and Mayor Virgil Mallory) said they'll take the idea home and ponder it awhile, before meeting again with the Council in a few days.
Chairman Tom Pablo, who managed the bathhouse many years ago, said the city "may have a better chance of running it than the Tribes - no politics involved."
The day's second big vote saw talks between the Tribes and the State of Montana about water rights shut down. E.W. Morigeau, Poison, made the motion to stop negotiations and eight other councilmen agreed with him. Chairman Pablo didn't, voting solo against the idea.
In the meantime, the Tribes will
continue to file objections against those people who are filing independent rights for water within the reservation. The tribal attorney has also been directed to work on a tribal water code, with or without BIA approval. Lastly, someone is supposed to be organizing a water conference to explain the complicated situation to Reservation water users.
In other business, Thurman Trosper's request for a constitutional amendment was voted down 6 to 4. (A majority vote of 7 to 3 was needed for approval.) Trosper elected to go the petition route, saying the present election system has not provided a tribal member-mandated governing body. (See story on page 2 -Special Announcement.)
The main reason given by those (Continued on po^e 15)
Tribes add office space
Groundbreaking began last week in Pablo for BIA's new headquarters, north of the Tribal Complex. The two-story building will have a gross area of 22,800 square feet. The BIA will lease about 9,365 square feet of the upper floor. Family Assistance will use the remaining 2,000 square feet.
The lower level will house four conference rooms, tribal office space (possibly to be filled by the various planning departments), public rest rooms and storage space. An
(Continued on pop two)
Inside this issue
Camel wins April 25 fight........................page 2
What's happening with SB76.....................page 4
Elders' Week a success..........................page 6
"Letters to the Editor"..........................page g
May calendar.................................page 13
KHJCC Pow-wow winners......................Page 21
Council Minutes..............................page 27